Pharmacy network management system and method for searching for a pharmacy store location

ABSTRACT

A method and system for enabling one or more customers to search for a pharmacy store location. The method and system includes an application server connected to a network server, an intranet server, and a database, the application server configured access a network server hosting a network website via the network; display to the customer via the website at least one of a prescription order selection or a pharmacy data access selection; display one or more prescription order displays to the customer via the website when the customer selects the prescription order selection; receive from the customer a particular prescription order via a communication network that connects a plurality of member pharmacies; and determine a pharmacy store location based on at least one of: i) if the store location is a drive through store location; ii) if the store location is within a search radius to the customers.

CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser. No.12/139,234, filed Jun. 13, 2008, which is a continuation of U.S.application Ser. No. 09/715,872, filed Nov. 15, 2000, which claims thebenefit of U.S. provisional application No. 60/165,479, filed Nov. 15,1999, the disclosures of which are hereby incorporated herein byreference in their entirety for all purposes.

BACKGROUND

This patent relates to a pharmacy network management system, and moreparticularly to a pharmacy network management system for maintaining,integrating, generating, and delivering a prescription and healthhistory profile over a secured and trusted on-line network and methodthereof.

In the area of Internet commerce, the use of websites to relay productinformation and also allow customers to order goods or services via theinternet is well-known. Within this arena the dispensing ofpharmaceutical information and the filling of medical prescriptions isknown. Typically such websites are proprietary and allow customers of aparticular pharmacy to order prescriptions from that particular pharmacyor pharmacy company. Since many of these companies consist of a chain ofmember stores, the use of internet for dispensing drug information andfor ordering prescriptions becomes more desirable.

Prior art on-line pharmacies include linking a number of users accessingthe internet to a network server owned by the pharmacy in order to viewpharmaceutical information and order prescriptions to be deliveredeither via mail or to be picked up at a particular store location of thepharmacy company by the user. Past attempts, however, have consisted ofan internet server for communicating with the pharmacy customers via theinternet and accepting prescription orders. These orders are then, inturn, faxed or e-mailed to the particular pharmacy store, for example,where a pharmacist or technician then verifies the prescription andfills the prescription order. Such attempts, however, have limitationsin that the server connected to the internet is not interfaced with acompany data base of customers' prescription and health histories, thuscreating more manual steps to be undertaken such as e-mailing or faxingprescriptions and access by the pharmacist or technician to anotherrepository of health and prescription records for the particular user.

There is therefore a need for an apparatus and method of on-linepharmacies that integrates customer health and prescription records witha network server that is effecting communication with users via theinternet. Additionally, the prior art systems also make access of healthand prescription records kept by the pharmacy company difficult toaccess by the end users since no integration exists between the internetnetwork server and the information repositories kept by the particularpharmacy company. Hence, there is a need for a method and apparatus thataffords more case of access to prescription and health history recordskept by the particular pharmacy company.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 illustrates a system for an on-line pharmacy according to theteachings of the invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates a diagrammatic illustration of the organization foran internet on-line pharmacy site according to the teachings of theinvention;

FIG. 3 illustrates a process for requesting new prescriptions via theinternet website according to the teachings of the invention;

FIG. 4 illustrates a process for locating a particular pharmacy storevia an internet website according to the teachings of the invention;

FIG. 5 illustrates a process for requesting shipping delivery ofprescriptions via an internet website according to the teachings or theinvention;

FIG. 6 illustrates an abbreviated method for registering an individualuser with an on-line pharmacy website according to the teachings of theinvention;

FIG. 7 illustrates a comprehensive process for registering an individualuser in an on-line pharmacy website according to the teachings of theinvention;

FIG. 8 illustrates a process of locating a store as part of a procedurefor selecting a prescription order at an on-line pharmacy websiteaccording to the teachings of the invention;

FIG. 9 illustrates a process for allowing a user to view registrationinformation with an on-line pharmacy website according to the teachingsof the invention;

FIG. 10 illustrates a process for viewing a user's prescription historyand profile as well as formatting, and printing the history according tothe teachings of the invention;

FIG. 11 illustrates a process by which a user of an on-line pharmacywebsite may check status of a prescription order according to theteachings of the invention;

FIG. 12 illustrates a process to submit questions to a pharmacist via anon-line website according to the teachings of the invention;

FIG. 13 illustrates a process for finding drug information using anon-line pharmacy website according to the teachings of the invention;

FIG. 14 illustrates a process for checking drug interactions via anon-line pharmacy website according to the teachings of the invention;and

FIG. 15 illustrates a process undertaken for viewing a user'sprescription history during a first time login to an on-line pharmacywebsite according to the teachings of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

This patent solves the above-described problems by integrating aninternet on-line pharmacy website with an in-house intranet server andcustomer database. This integration affords a user of the on-linewebsite the ability to order prescriptions, wherein the prescriptionorder is sent directly to a pharmacy store via network connectionsthereby eliminating the need for separate communications such as e-mail,facsimile, or telephony communication. Additionally, since the customerdatabase and intranet server are integrated with the network server theuser may readily view the user's complete prescription history, as wellas the ability to format and print the prescription history.Furthermore, the integration of the network server with the intranetserver, which serves to network the locations of all pharmacy storesowned by the particular pharmacy company to enable website registrationof a particular customer/user of the pharmacy company without accessingthe on-line pharmacy website, thereby effecting a “click-free”registration of customer/users. That is, for example, a user may providec-mail information to a particular store location of the pharmacycompany, which in turn registers the user via the intranet connectingthe pharmacy company locations.

FIG. 1 illustrates an on-line pharmacy system according to the teachingsof the invention. The system includes a network server 106 that isconnected to a network 104 such as the internet. One or more users via auser browser 102 may access the network server 106 via the network 104.Network server 106 is, in turn, connected to an application server 108that enables integration of a customer database 110 having informationsuch as a customer's prescription history and health history. Theintranet server 112 is a network internal to a pharmacy company andlinks pharmacy store locations with one another.

The application server 108 serves to integrate the customer database110, the intranet server 112, and the network server 106 so thatinformation and services offered by the pharmacy company are availableto all user browsers 102 accessing the network server 106 by the network104.

FIG. 2 illustrates an exemplary website organization 200 that can beimplemented in the network server 106. An initial screen or “homepage”is shown at 202. This page 202 within the website 200 allows usersvarious options that they may select including a pharmacy homepage 204and a health library homepage 210. Additional services such as shoppingservices and other information (e.g., company information) 212 may bealso linked with the homepage 202. Within the health library homepage210 are various links to health information that can be provided. Asshown, links to information such as a healthcare library 244, a druginteractions search page 214, a drug interactions check 224, first aidinformation 246, a quiz concerning health issues 248, preventativehealth scheduling 250, a glossary of medical procedures 252, or a storelocator 230 for the particular company are shown but are not limited tojust these particular types of information.

From the pharmacy homepage 204, are links to pharmacy services,information, and a customer's personal health and prescription history.Examples shown include the drug interactions search 214 which is thesame as the drug interactions search linked from the health library home210, request for a new prescription order 218, which is also preferablyshown with a direct link from the homepage 202, a registration view 222that shows a user their particular registration information within thewebsite, the drug interaction check 224 which is also linked from thehealth library home 210, a status check for particular orders placed bythe user 228, a pharmacy store locator 230, which is also shown linkedto the health library homepage 210, a profile viewer 234 that displays auser's prescription history and other personal health information, aprint history 236 that enables a user to format and print the vieweduser profile from the profile viewer 234, a pharmacist spotlight 238that displays information concerning particular pharmacists employed bythe pharmacy corporation, which is also preferably shown with a directlink from the homepage 202, and a refill reminder 242 that allows a userto request a reminder such as a date that a prescription must berefilled.

Additionally from the pharmacy homepage 204 is a link to a customerregistration 206, which, in turn, allows a user to select a username andpassword as shown by block 208. This registration 206, however, could belinked from any portion of the website 200 not just the pharmacyhomepage 204 as will be described later.

The description that follows illustrates the particular processes thatare followed to perform various functions offered by the on-linepharmacy website 200. Each of these processes are exemplary according toa preferred embodiment of the teachings of the present invention, butcould also be employed in other ways as will be appreciated by those ofordinary skill in the art.

FIG. 3 illustrates the process for requesting new prescriptions asindicated by link 218 in FIG. 2. After a user has navigated to the orderor request new prescription area 218 from either the homepage 202 or thepharmacy homepage 204, the user logs in the website 200 using a username and password as shown in block 302. If the user has not previouslyregistered, flow proceeds to block 305 where the individual may proceedwith a short registration as will be illustrated in FIG. 6. Once theindividual is registered flow proceeds to block 304 where the user mayselect a method or source of the prescription. If the user has enteredan incorrect user name and password at the login 302, a user may requesta password hint to be sent via e-mail as indicated by block 303.

At block 304, the user has the option to print a mail order form 334,which can be used by the customer to manually fill-out and mail to apharmacy store. At this point the process ends if the customer selectsthis particular option. In the alternative, if the user desires theprescription to be mail ordered or electronically transmitted to aparticular pharmacy location for pick up flow proceeds from block 304 tothree possible options.

The first option, shown in block 306, is transfer from another pharmacycompany, for example. At step 306 the customer enters information aboutthe prescription they are transferring (i.e., the drug name). Otherinformation such as the previous pharmacy name, telephone number,prescription strength, prescription number, drug quantity, doctor's nameand the doctor's phone are input by the user. Flow then proceeds to a“shopping cart” displaying the current order as illustrated at block316. A dashed line from block 316 back to block 306 indicates that thecustomer may return from the “shopping cart” to either change the orderor add additional prescriptions.

The second option available to the user is to enter a new prescriptionas illustrated at block 308. Here the customer is prompted to enterinformation about the new prescription to be filled including doctor'sname and phone, the drug name, strength and drug quantity. Flow thenproceeds to the “shopping cart” displaying the current order at block316.

The final option available to the user is to refill a prescription. Flowproceeds from block 304 to decision block 310 where the process quarrieswhether a recorded personal identification number has been entered bythe user. That is, a user is given an option to simply enter aprescription number, which is particular to the users specificprescription to be refilled. If no recorded personal identificationnumber has been entered, flow proceeds to block 312 where it isdetermined whether or not this is the users first time logging in. Herethe user is given the option to log in using a personal identificationnumber and, if the customer enters the personal identification number,flow proceeds to a prescription history display as shown in block 314.If the user chooses not to enter a personal identification number, theusers then prompted to enter the prescription refill number at block330. If the prescription number is invalid or not found the user isnotified at block 332 that the prescription has not been found andprompted to reenter the prescription refill number. Once theprescription refill number has been entered flow proceeds to the“shopping cart” as indicated by block 316. Alternatively, if at eitherblock 310 or block 312 the customer has entered a personalidentification number, the flow proceeds to block 314 where aprescription history is displayed. From the screen a user may simplyselect refill of one or more particular prescriptions displayed. Flowthen proceeds to the “shopping cart” displaying the current order inblock 316.

After all the prescriptions are added by the customer into the “shoppingcart” and has chosen to complete their order flow then proceeds todecision block 320. Additionally, the user is given the option to canceltheir order where upon a warning pop-up 318 is shown so that thecustomer can definitively chose to cancel the order or continue with theorder.

At decision block 320 it is determined whether this order is thecustomer's first order and if the customer is refilling a prescriptionthey have received at a particular pharmacy store location. If the useris selecting on-line for the first time the user is given a choice as tothe delivery method in block 322. Here the user may select betweeneither having the order shipped or may locate and select a pharmacystore for pick-up of the prescription. If the user selects shippingdelivery as indicated at block 328 the order is sent to a shippingfacility where the prescription is filled and mailed out. Otherwise, anorder for the prescription is sent to the store location selected atblock 324 which automatically receives the prescription order via theapplication server 108 and intranet server 112 as shown in FIG. 1. Theorder is then processed and filled by personnel at the pharmacy storelocation selected. If the order is not the users first order asdetermined at decision block 320, the user is given the option to selectthe last pharmacy store location they used and information such as thestore number, address, pharmacy phone and pharmacy hours may bedisplayed. Otherwise, the user may also select a shipping deliveryrequest for mailing of the prescription or locate and select anotherstore for pick-up.

FIG. 4 illustrates in further detail the process that is executed tolocate a pharmacy store location as indicated by block 230 in FIG. 2.Once a user request to locate a store is received, a store locationsearch is performed at block 402 after the user inputs information suchas address, city, state, zip code, whether or not the store location isopen 24 hours, has a drive through or within a search radius selectedfrom various amounts of distance. Once the search is complete theresults are displayed as shown at block 404 where the customer canselect a store to view more details concerning the store as indicated byblock 408 or may search again as indicated by a return arrow to block402. Additionally, driving instructions may be shown in a pop-up asindicated at block 406 either directly from the search results at block404 or after viewing the particular store information details at block408.

FIG. 5 illustrates in further detail the processing of a shippingdelivery request 328 as shown in FIG. 3. After the shipping deliveryrequest at block 328 is registered a command to ship the order at block504 is executed. Here the customer is allowed to select or enter anaddress to have their order shipped to and the shipping method (e.g.,U.S. Mail, FedEx, etc.). The customer then submits this information andnext billing information is requested as shown at block 506. In block506 the customer is either prompted to enter billing information, suchas credit card information and address information. Additionally, thecustomer can elect to have new payment information saved to theirprofile or, if the information has already been saved may simply selectto be billed according to the previously entered billing information.The flow then proceeds to decision block 508 which determines if thereis any missing information. If there is missing information, flowproceeds to block 510 where the user is prompted to enter furtherregistration information required for complete registration of anindividual user. Once this is accomplished flow proceeds to decisionblock 512. If no missing data is determined at decision block 508 flowproceeds also to decision block 512 where it is determined whether ornot the user has entered a personal identification number. If not thecustomer is prompted to review the order details in block 516. If nopersonal identification number was entered then the user is prompted toreview the order details without information concerning refills otherthan the type and prescription number at block 514. From both blocks 514and 516 flow proceeds to a confirmation screen confirming that the orderhas been placed as shown at block 518 and a corresponding e-mail issubsequently sent to the customer confining receipt of the order. Inaddition, a warning pop-up 520 is shown to the user reminding thecustomer that the pharmacy company will be contacting the prescribingdoctor if required by the particular law of the jurisdiction in whichthe user resides. In addition, the customer is informed that an e-mailwill be sent when the prescription is ready.

FIG. 6 illustrates the process for registering individuals in anabbreviated manner such as is accomplished in step 332 of FIG. 3, forexample. This abbreviated registration of individual users is intendedto allow the users who are new to the on-line pharmacy website theability to register for extended services without going through the fullregistration process. Once it is determined in step 602 that theindividual user desires to register with the on-line pharmacy websiteflow proceeds to step 604 wherein the customer is prompted to providepersonal data for registration. Such information includes name, a username, a password, a password hint, gender, date of birth, e-mailaddress, home address, home phone, work phone and an indication inwhether they wish to receive e-mails from the pharmacy company. Theinformation is then submitted by the user wherein the website determinesat decision block 606 whether information is missing or the user nameselected by the individual user has already been used. If there is anyinformation missing the flow proceeds to 608 wherein the user is allowedto edit the registration information entered by the user. Once this isaccomplished flow proceeds to a confirmation screen 610 where theinformation may be checked by the user for potential errors and thecustomer then is allowed to confirm the information if correct. Finally,a thank you page 612 is displayed to indicate to the user thatregistration has occurred successfully.

For those users who wish to utilize more of the functions offered on thewebsite, a normal individual registration process is followed asillustrated in FIG. 7. Here the individual is prompted to inputinformation at block 704 including the particular user's health history,health conditions and allergies. To assist the user in entering healthconditions in allergies screen 706 and 708 are available that listconditions and allergies from which the user may select. Additionally,the individual user is also requested to enter the same type ofinformation as was entered in the abbreviated registration processillustrated in FIG. 6. The input of health conditions and drug allergiesallows other features such as checking drug interactions and alsoalerting a user as to potential side effects that may result fromexisting health or allergy conditions and potentially prevent theoccurrence of such side effects. After the information has been enteredin block 704 the flow proceeds to decision block 710 where it isdetermined whether or not the user has previously registered using theabbreviated registration. If the user has previously registered flowsimply proceeds to a confirmation screen 714. If not the individual isthen prompted to input the remaining registration information at block712 that was required in the abbreviated registration process asillustrated in FIG. 6. Once this information is complete and accuratethe user is directed to the confirmation screen 714. Additionally, theuser may access the drug allergies and health conditions pages 706 and708 from the confirmation screen 714 if any other health conditions orallergies need to be added or deleted. Once the user has confirmed theregistration information at 714 the user may either locate a pharmacystore location that they wish to pick-up prescriptions from at block 716or initiate a shipping delivery request if they are in the process ofordering a prescription at block 718. The flow then proceeds to block720 which return to whatever process the individual user is undergoingat the present time.

FIG. 8 illustrates the store location selection process used by anindividual user when undergoing a prescription order selection. Hereflow proceeds from step 324 as shown in FIG. 3, for example, here theuser is allowed to locate a particular pharmacy store by first searchingat step 802. The user is prompted to input search criteria similar tothose previously described with respect to step 402 in FIG. 4. Once thesearch results are delivered at page 804 the user may either view storeinformation detail and instructions to the store as shown in pages 806and 810 before selecting a pick-up time at page 808 or simply proceedfrom the search results 804 to selecting a pick-up time 808. In apreferred embodiment, the pick-up time has a default time that ispredetermined and must be actively changed by the individual user if adifferent time is desired. Next flow proceeds to decision block 812where it is determined whether or not there is missing information. Ifso, flow proceeds to register the individual at page 814, whichcorresponds to the registration start block 702 as illustrated in FIG.7. If no information is missing or once registration has been completedflow then proceeds to decision block 816 to determine whether or notthere is a missing personal identification number. If the personalidentification number is not missing the user is shown a screen 820 toreview the order details and subsequently confirm the order detail inscreen 824. In addition, a warning pop-up 822 appears to alert thecustomer that the user's doctor will be contacted, if required. Asubsequent e-mail is then sent to the user confirming the order and alsoa follow-up e-mail may be sent when the order has been filled. In thealternative, if the personal identification number is missing the useris shown a screen to review the order details 818 without refillinformation and subsequently the order is confirmed as shown by page 824and the appropriate warning 822 is also shown to the user.

FIG. 9 illustrates the process by which a user may view and edit theirregistration information from the pharmacy homepage 204, as shown inFIG. 2. When a user selects to view their registration at screen 222, alogin screen 902 is presented to the user. The user enters a usernameand password, which is verified by the network server 106. If the userhas forgotten their password, a request for sending a password hint maybe performed as indicated by screen 904. If the user has not yetregistered, the user may also proceed to the abbreviated registration atscreen 906 and complete the process illustrated in FIG. 6. After theuser has successfully logged in, the flow proceeds to decision block908, where a determination is made whether the user has a personalidentification number (PIN) on record.

If a user does not have a PIN on record, a view registration screen 910is displayed to allow the user to view the particular registrationinformation and edit personal registration information 914 or changetheir password 912. Alternatively, if the user has a PIN on record, ascreen 916 for viewing the registration history is shown with links toscreens for editing personal registration information 920, as well asregistered shipping information 922, payment information 924, healthhistory 926 and insurance provider information 928. Additionally, theuser has the option to change the password as shown at step 918 or viewthe profile (prescription history) with a link screen 234 to the startof the history viewing procedure, which will be described later inregard to FIG. 10. Also, the view registration procedure illustrated inFIG. 10 includes a verification step 932 in which credit card paymentinformation, for example, is verified or authenticated. If the creditcard information is not verified at step 932, a credit card error screen930 indicates to the user that there was an error in verification.

FIG. 10 illustrates a procedure according to the teachings of apreferred embodiment that allow users to view their profile/prescriptionhistory 234 from the pharmacy homepage 204, as shown in FIG. 2. Afterthe user requests to view their profile/prescription history, the useris prompted to log in at screen 1002 by entering a username andpassword. The user enters a username and password, which is verified bythe network server 106. If the user has forgotten their password, arequest for sending a password hint may be performed as indicated byscreen 1004. If the user has not yet registered, the user may alsoproceed to the abbreviated registration at screen 1006 and complete theprocess illustrated in FIG. 6.

Next, the process proceeds to a determination of whether or not this isthe user's first login to the profile/prescription history viewer 1008.If it is the first time that the user has logged in, a personalidentification number (PIN) must be assigned to the user beforeaccessing further information according to a preferred embodiment. Thisis to ensure a further degree of security for personal information ofthe user. However, it is noted that such degree of security is notnecessarily required, merely desirable. The step 1008 prompts the userfor a PIN. If the user does not have a PIN, a process is invoked toassign a PIN to the user. This process will be described later inconnection with FIG. 15. Once the user has entered a correct PIN numberthe customer is shown their prescription history that is stored in thecustomer database 110. Such information can included, but is not limitedto, prescription number, refills remaining, drug name, drug strength,the doctor's name, and last fill date.

From the prescription history screen 1010, various further informationcan be displayed. For example, drug information can be hyper-linked fromthe prescription history screen 1010 to allow display of specific druginformation at screen 1012, including, for example, images of theparticular medications and pricing information. Also from theprescription history screen 1010, further details concerning each pieceof information given in the prescription history screen 1010 mayhyper-linked to a prescription history detail screen 1014.

The process for viewing a user's profile/prescription history 234 alsofeatures steps enabling the user to format and print their prescriptionhistory. From either the prescription history 1010 or the prescriptionhistory detail 1014, a user may request to print their prescriptionhistory at step 1016. The user is then allowed to select the formattingof the prescription history to be printed at screen 1018. For example,the user may select which type of information they wish to be displayedand in what order the information is be listed. Various other formattingoptions that may be available to user is desired. Once the user hasselected the desired printing format, the print request is made viewablein screen 1020 and the user either has the option to accept the formatand print at step 236 (corresponding to step 236 illustrated in FIG. 1)or return to the formatting screen 1018 for further editing of theformat.

FIG. 11 illustrates a process for checking the status of a prescriptionorder that has been placed. When a user selects the check order statusscreen 228 from the pharmacy homepage 204, the user is then prompted tologin at step 1102 by entering a username and password. The user entersa username and password, which is verified by the network server 106. Ifthe user has forgotten their password, a request for sending a passwordhint may be performed as indicated by screen 1104. If the user has notyet registered, the user may also proceed to the abbreviatedregistration at screen 1106 and complete the process illustrated in FIG.6. Once the user has logged in, a screen 1108 displaying the status ofcurrently pending orders including information such as the datereceived, the order number, total amount charged and order status (e.g.,shipped, in-process, etc.). The user is also allowed to view theirprescription history by linking to screen 1008 shown in FIG. 10.

FIG. 12 illustrates a feature of the pharmacy website that enables usersto submit questions they may have to a pharmacist. This feature may beaccessed from the pharmacy homepage 204 or may also be accessed fromother pages, such as the prescription ordering screens, if desired. Whena user selects the “Ask a Pharmacist” feature at 1202, the user is thenprompted to login at step 1204 by entering a username and password. Theuser enters a username and password, which is verified by the networkserver 106. If the user has forgotten their password, a request forsending a password hint may be performed as indicated by screen 1104. Ifthe user has not yet registered, the user may also proceed to theabbreviated registration at screen 1208 and complete the processillustrated in FIG. 6. Once the user a logged in, a screen 1210 isdisplayed enabling the user to input and submit a question that will bedelivered either directly via the network server 106 or via the intranetserver 112 to a pharmacist as shown in FIG. 1. After the question hasbeen submitted, a thank you screen 1212 appears to inform the user thatthe question has been successfully transmitted.

Another feature of the pharmacy website is access to a repository ofdrug information. FIG. 13 illustrates a process that enables a user toaccess various drug information. In step 214, the user requests to findspecific drug information. Screen 1302 is displayed enabling the user toenter or select search criteria. For example, the user may select aletter of the alphabet, which causes an alphabetical list of drugsbeginning with that letter to be displayed and from which the user mayselect a particular drug. Another example would be allowing the user toenter the name or partial name of a drug, and a list of pharmaceuticalsthat match the user entry is displayed. The repository of druginformation is searched and the search results are displayed to the userin screen 1304. If the search does not yield results or yieldsirrelevant results, the user may return to the search entry screen 1302to refine or change the search query.

From the search results displayed in screen 1304, the user may selectwhich results they wish to view. After selecting one or more results,the information concerning the particular drugs is displayed in screen1306. The information may includes pricing, dosage, commonly prescribedquantity, price of the most commonly prescribed quantity, the genericname, common uses and precautions. Also if an image of the drug existsin the information repository as determined at block 1314, the drugimages may be displayed to the user at screen 1316.

An additional feature allows the user to check drug interactions withthe particular drug selected. Prior to procession to the druginteraction check, a determination is first made whether the user has anassigned personal identification number (PIN). If the user has a PIN,the flow proceeds to screen 1410, which will be described in connectionwith FIG. 14. For users not yet having an assigned PIN, the flowproceeds to screen 1412, which will also be described in connection withFIG. 14.

In FIG. 14, the user is allowed to check drug interactions from eitherthe pharmacy homepage 204 or the health library homepage 210, both shownin FIG. 2. Also, as described above, the drug interaction check processmay also be entered from the find drug information process illustratedin FIG. 13. When a user selects the checking of drug interactions atscreen 224, the user is prompted to select a first drug at screen 1402from either an alphabetical listing of drugs in step 1404 or by directinput or search as illustrated by screen 1406. Next, a determination ismade whether the user has a PIN assignment. If the user does not, then acomparison list of drugs is displayed at screen 1411 from which the usermay select. Similar to the selection of the first drug in step 1402, theuser may select from an alphabetical list of drugs in screen 1414 orsearch for a particular drug 1416 and then select a second drug fromeither screen, the choice displayed at screen 1422. Once the second drugis selected, the reaction results are displayed to the user at screen1424.

If the user has a PIN assignment as determined at step 1408, acomparison with the user's profile the drugs presently in the user'sprofile or personal prescription history stored in the customer database110 is performed and the results of the comparison are displayed in areaction results screen 1424. Also, at screen 1409, if the user wishesto compare with another drug not in the user's profile or personalprescription history, the user has the option to search for particulardrugs or select from an alphabetic list of drugs, the user may so chooseas indicated by screens 1418, 1420 and 1426. The user may then selectthe second drug and compare with the first drug, the results beingdisplayed in the reaction results screen 1424.

FIG. 15 illustrates the process by which a user may associate a PIN whenlogging in for the first time to particular portions of the pharmacywebsite. Preferably, the PIN is delivered after initial registration tothe user either by U.S. mail or any other means of communication bywhich the PIN may be securely communicated to the user. Once the userhas received the PIN, the routine of FIG. 15 may be initiated, a screen1504 is displayed prompting the user to enter the PIN. The networkserver 106 then checks whether the PIN entered is correct at block 1506.If the PIN is not correct, an error screen 1508 is displayed indicatingthat the PIN is incorrect. The user may re-enter the PIN by returning toscreen 1504. However, if an incorrect PIN is entered three times, thenetwork server 106 locks out re-entry of the PIN for that particularuser as indicated by screen 1510.

Alternatively, when a correct PIN is entered the association isperformed and the process returns to whatever previous process was beingperformed when the first time login process was invoked. As shown inFIG. 15, these may include viewing profile/prescription history (screen238 as shown in FIG. 10), requesting a new prescription (screen as shownin FIG. 3) or during the request for a refill reminder (screen 242 asshown in FIG. 2).

Another feature of the system shown in FIG. 1 is the ability to registerusers with the on-line pharmacy website via the intranet server 112. Anexemplary methodology includes soliciting contact information (e.g., ane-mail address or a postal address) and other pertinent information froma potential user when they visit a member pharmacy store location.Personnel at the member pharmacy store then enter the informationconcerning the user into a connection to the intranet server 112 locatedat the member pharmacy store, which is then associated with informationconcerning the user previously stored in the customer database 110 viathe connection through the application server 108 and also with thenetwork server 106. The user is then sent a user name and a passwordbased on the contact information via an e-mail or U.S. mail, forexample, with which the user may log on to the on-line pharmacy website.This methodology enables a user to conveniently register while visitinga member pharmacy location without having to first access the websitevia the Internet. Hence, the registration process is essentially“click-free” to the user. The location of the connections to theintranet server could also be located in other centralized locations ofthe particular pharmacy company or network of pharmacy companies, suchas a pharmacy company headquarters or other office and warehouselocations of the particular pharmacy company.

Using the above methodology, when the pharmacy personnel register theuser, a search for the customer/user is first performed on a utilityresiding on the intranet server 112. The search terms may include theuser's prescription number, name, phone number, birth date to locate theuser. Of course, certain terms such a the prescription number willreturn an exact match, whereas terms such as the user's name or birthdate may yield multiple matches from which the pharmacy personnel willhave to determine the correct match for the particular user. Othermethods of locating a user may include accessing the user's specificinformation from the customer database 110 and allowing execution ofregistration from this particular accessed information.

Once the correct user is located and selected, the personnel enter theuser's e-mail address, for example, and any other pertinent informationthat may not be previously recorded (e.g., phone number, date of birth,postal address, etc.). After all desired information has been entered, aregistration command is sent to the application server 108, which sendsthe command to the network server 106, which performs registration forthe user, and to the customer database 110 for association of the user'sregistration with the user's information stored therein. Afterregistration is complete, an e-mail, for example, is sent to the user bythe network server 106 that includes the username and password, whichthe user may use to log in to the on-line pharmacy website.

Although certain methods and apparatus constructed in accordance withthe teachings of the invention have been described herein, the scope ofcoverage of this patent is not limited thereto. For example, theparticular organization of the on-line pharmacy website shown in FIG. 2is not limited to only this one possible arrangement, but is merely oneof many possible organizations that could be employed to implement anon-line pharmacy website in accordance with the teachings of the presentinvention. On the contrary, this patent covers all embodiments of theteachings of the invention fairly falling within the scope of theappended claims either literally or under the doctrine of equivalents.

1. A system for searching for a pharmacy store location with a drivethrough window to pick up a prescription item ordered from a networkwebsite comprising: a network server connected to a network that isaccessible by one or more customers via the network; an applicationserver connected to the network server; one or more databases connectedto the application server, at least one of the one or more databasescontaining information concerning drugs and personal informationconcerning one or more of the customers, wherein the personalinformation includes a prescription drug history of each respective oneof the one or more customers; and an intranet server that is connectedto at least a plurality of member pharmacies and the application server;wherein the application server is configured to: cause a browser todisplay to a customer personal information corresponding to thecustomer; cause the browser to display an option for a drug associatedwith a prescription order to be picked up at a pharmacy store location;search a database to determine the pharmacy store location based on atleast one of the following: i) if the store location is a drive throughstore location; or ii) if the store location is within a search radiusto the customer; cause the browser to display to the customer at leastone pharmacy store location found in the search; and receive from thecustomer a selection of one of the displayed pharmacy store locations atwhich the customer may pick up the prescription item ordered from thenetwork website.
 2. The system of claim 1, wherein the applicationserver is configured to search the database for the pharmacy storelocation based on whether the store location is a 24 hour storelocation.
 3. The system of claim 1, wherein the application server isconfigured to receive user input information to aid with the search ofthe database to determine the pharmacy store location desired by theuser.
 4. The system of claim 3, wherein the user input informationincludes at least one of address information, state information, cityinformation, zip code information, or search radius information.
 5. Thesystem of claim 3, wherein the user input information includes a searchradius selected from various amounts of distance.
 6. The system of claim1, wherein the system is configured to allow each respective one of theone or more customers to view more details concerning the selectedstore.
 7. A method in a computer system for enabling one or morecustomers to search for a pharmacy store location comprising: connectinga network server to an application server; hosting a network website onthe network server displaying to the customer on the network website atleast one of a prescription order selection or a pharmacy data accessselection; displaying one or more prescription order displays to thecustomer via the network website when the customer selects theprescription order selection; receiving from the customer a particularprescription order via the application server connected to an intranetserver, the intranet server connecting a plurality of member pharmacies;retrieving personal information concerning the customer associated withthe particular prescription order from a database connected to theapplication server; obtaining geographic information corresponding tothe customer, wherein the geographic information includes at least oneof: an address, a city a state, or a zip code; searching for a pharmacystore location based on at least one of: i) if the pharmacy storelocation is a drive through store location; and ii) if the pharmacystore location is within a search radius to the received geographicinformation; and displaying to the customer via the website the pharmacystore locations found in the search.
 8. The method of claim 7, furthercomprising: retrieving driving directions corresponding to the storelocation via the application server.
 9. The method of claim 7, furthercomprising: searching the database for the pharmacy store location viathe application server based on whether the store location is a 24 hourstore location.
 10. The method of claim 7, further comprising: receivinguser input information to aid with the search of the database via theapplication server to determine the pharmacy store location desired bythe user.
 11. The method of claim 10, wherein the user input informationreceived via the application server includes at least one of addressinformation, state information, city information, zip code information,or search radius information.
 12. The method of claim 7, furthercomprising: allowing each respective one of the one or more customers toselect a store via the network server to view more details concerningthe store.
 13. The method of claim 7, further comprising performing aprescription drug interaction check for the customer's orderedprescription.
 14. The method of claim 7, further comprising displayingone or more pharmacy data access displays to the customer via theapplication server when the customer selects the pharmacy data accessselection wherein the customer is allowed to access one of a personalprescription history and specific information from the database.
 15. Apharmacy network system comprising an application server connected to anetwork server, an intranet server, and a database, the applicationserver configured to store and execute computer executable instructionsto search for a pharmacy store location, the computer executableinstructions comprising instructions to: access a network server hostinga network website via the network; display to the customer via thewebsite at least one of a prescription order selection or a pharmacydata access selection; display one or more prescription order displaysto the customer via the website when the customer selects theprescription order selection; receive from the customer a particularprescription order via a communication network that connects a pluralityof member pharmacies; and determine a pharmacy store location based onat least one of: i) if the store location is a drive through storelocation; ii) if the store location is within a search radius to thecustomers.
 16. The pharmacy store locator of claim 15, the computerexecutable instructions comprising further instructions to formatdisplay of shipping preferences of each respective one of the one ormore customers according to a plurality of selectable display formatsthat are selected by the respective one of the one or more customers.17. The pharmacy store locator of claim 15, the computer executableinstructions comprising further instructions to allow each respectiveone of the one or more customers to print each particular selectabledisplay format of the driving directions that is selected by therespective one of the one or more customers.
 18. The pharmacy storelocator of claim 15, the computer executable instructions comprisingfurther instructions to allow each respective one of the one or morecustomers to select a store to view more details concerning the store.19. The pharmacy store locator of claim 15, the computer executableinstructions comprising further instructions to search the database todetermine the pharmacy store location based on whether the storelocation is a 24 hour store location.
 20. The pharmacy store locator ofclaim 15, the computer executable instructions comprising furtherinstructions to retrieve driving instructions corresponding to the storelocation.